Paris-Nice 2018: Arnaud Démare wins first stage in photo finish

The Frenchman also won the last year’s opening stage and stage two in 2016. With the today’s opening stage victory, the champion was able to earn a 10 second bonus. 4 seconds ahead of Izagirre in the overall classification and 6 seconds ahead of Laporte .

“I thought I was second, I wasn’t expecting it so when they told me I’d won it was an explosion of joy. I was sure I was second, I threw my bike more in despair than anything,” Démare said.

“At the end you’re not lucid at all, so when they told me I’d won it was extraordinary. It’s my first win, and to do it like that… it burned, it burned, but I never gave up. I’m super happy to win in front of my fan club and my family who are here. It’s perfect.”

Sadly, a sudden crash in the first 2.5 kilometers reduced the competition by taking out several big names, some of them include Katusha-Alpecin’s Ilnur Zakarin and Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang.

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